We Were Soldiers
by MaverickThePony
Summary: The night before Nails and the griffons move in to finally eradicate the terrorists in Forshan, questions get asked and Nails finds himself telling the story of his history to his newfound friends. they won t like all of his story.
1. Chapter 1

STOP! Before you continue reading be sure that you have read The Last Mission. This story is the sequel to The Last Mission and failure to read will result in confusion.

Author Notes

Before we start this story I just want to announce that I will no longer be naming my chapters on my own. As it has shown in previous works, I am not very good with names. Instead I will be using a very complex formula for my chapter names.

I will be using the 1, 2, 3 method.

Dedicated to all men and women of the United States armed forces who have passed on since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and to all those who continue fighting for freedom.

Chapter 1

Nails walked through the camp filled with griffons. It had been a good month. They had just received word that another team had successfully taken out another base and now Nails' group was on the verge of taking out the only remaining base. It was a small one but as soon as they took it out he could go home to Ponyville. No doubt that even though he doesn't get much work, his work would have piled up and he would have to double time to catch up. Rainbow Dash had sent him letters every few days and apart from the jokes from the rest of his team (Delta being the primary culprit) he had taken the liberty of responding to each one. Apparently, nothing in Ponyville had changed since he left. Mostly, the letters were just to get an update on the progress and to get estimates on when he would be coming home.

Nails looked towards the center of camp where the griffons had taken to their pre-battle rituals. He never understood any of them, but he just let them be. He was passing by the bonfire when a voice called to him.

"Nails! Come over here and join us!" it was Eagle Eye. Over the course of the month, Nails and Eagle Eye had become good friends. They had become friendly competitors, often competing for body counts in missions. It was close each time and a few times ended in ties but so far, Nails had yet to lose. He walked over to Eagle Eye and took notice of the griffons around him. He instantly spotted Delta who was slowly spinning the cylinder on his revolver. Nails took this as a sign of excitement as the griffon was obviously happy about getting to finally go home. He also noticed Flying Heart, the teams medic; and Blunderbuss and Musket, the only brothers on the team who were also infantry. These weren't their real names but the nicknames had been assigned due to their obvious weapon preferences. Musket carried only a rifle and was an extremely quick work with the bolt while Blunderbuss carried what the griffons called a shotgun. Nails had been very interested in the shotgun when he had first heard about it but was steadfast to his only gun preference. In his opinion, nothing could touch the speed, power, and reliability offered by the .45 revolver. He took a seat next to his cousin as they started to talk again.

"Hot damn!" said Eagle Eye excitedly, "I'm going to flat out say that this was the best month of my life. With all the battles going on I bet everyone in this unit will earn a few medals."

"Yeah." said Blunderbuss with his deep voice, "And Nails, that was one hell of a job you did with Delta at the beginning."

"It took a lot of prep work." said Nails, "But it was definitely worth it."

"I wasn't there and haven't heard what he did so you're going to have to tell me." said Musket.

"Not again." said Delta.

"Well, it took a lot of work. We got to a place that had one bathroom which was important. Then, I had to make sure that it was all clear for the payback to begin. Once I was certain that nothing could interfere, I put super glue onto the seat of the toilet. Then, I made dinner that night and put some crazy spicy hot sauce on Delta's food and some laxatives in his water. Of course, when he did eat the hot sauce it was far too spicy for him. He immediately went for the water thinking that had been my payback."

"What was the purpose of the laxatives?" asked Musket.

"Ever had some really spicy food? Round two hurts so much worse. Just imagine how it would feel if the digestion had been rushed. Later, when the laxatives worked its magic, Delta ended up stuck on the toilet with his ass feeling like it was on fire."

"That was not funny." said Delta.

"Maybe not from your angle. From mine it was hilarious!" said Nails.

"Oh man, pranks." said Eagle Eye as he leaned back, "Takes me back to when we were training. I remember that pranks were a staple for the griffons. What about the ponies Nails? Did they pull many pranks?"

"You're asking me if the Equestrian soldiers pulled pranks. You should hear about some of the stuff they pulled!" Responded Nails. "I can still remember those days like they had just happened. I can even remember my asshole drill instructor."

"Aren't they all?" said Delta joining the conversation, "You know, I'm curious Nails. I don't think you've ever told me about what life was like before you met me."

"Yeah." said Eagle Eye, "I'd like to hear that story, and some of the time that you spent with Delta would be awesome to hear about as well."

"Well, I guess we have time. Do ya'll want to hear it from the very beginning?"

"Yea." said Delta.

"Ok then, as I recall it all started during one of my daily punishment PTs...

"Hurry it up Corporal Talon!" shouted the drill instructor as Talon carried the heavy load to the finish line. It was the same shit just a different day and once again Talon had found himself at the mercy of the Sarge. Talon didn't know the Sarge's name and that was all he knew to call him. Ever since day one, the Sarge had chosen him to be his personal mule. Making him do all of the pointless work and then running him through PTs just for the fun of it. As soon as Talon crossed the finish line he heard a bugle call out in the distance signaling lunch. He watched the other militia beginning to leave and he got up to go as well.

"Not so fast Talon!" shouted the Sarge as he pressed Talon's face into the ground, the taste of dirt filling his mouth. "You still have another lap to run!" said the Sarge as he walked off. "If I hear you cheated me out I will PT you until Celestia herself stops me!" Talon groaned and got up to run the mile long lap. He hated his drill instructor and he knew that the Sarge felt the exact same way about him. He knew that the only reason that the Sarge could hate him was because of his claw. His claw gave him several advantages that other soldiers didn't have which made him pretty unpopular around the unit. He finished his lap and then made his way over to the mess hall.

Talon entered the mess hall to see that there was no longer a line. Normally, this meant that all the good stuff was gone, but to Talon, there was enough left for him. He made his way towards the counter where he was greeted by Gravy. Really the only pony that didn't give him a hard time.

"Howdy Talon." said Gravy as he got out a tray with food on it from underneath the counter, "Beans and carrots today with some creamed spinach."

"Thanks Gravy." said Talon as he turned to go to his usual spot. Another lunch meant another time he could be alone. Nopony ever bothered him and he was fine with that. He sat down and started to eat. He was almost finished when his worst nightmare happened. The Sarge was walking towards him.

"Well, I see you finally made it." said the Sarge as he walked up to Talon. Talon just ignored him and continued to eat. The Sarge didn't seem to care as he stood behind Talon.

"Well, I hope you have enough energy left in you for some more drills. We got a fun schedule after lunch." said the Sarge with a smile.

"Why do you hate me?" asked Talon as he continued to eat.

"I don't hate you!" responded the Sarge, "You just always mess up. Everybody makes mistakes it just so happens that you're exhibit A."

"I do everything just fine; sometimes I do it better than anyone else, including you."

"I would stop talking like that Talon; such proud words could get you in line for a PT."

"I thought I was already in the VIP line for that." responded Talon.

"You know, I'm glad your father never had to deal with you. You can be so hotheaded at times he's probably better off dead."

Talon got up very swiftly knocking his chair back and almost flipping the table. The unexpected noise turned every single head in the room towards the two stallions.

"Don't talk about my father like that."

"How would you know what to defend? You never knew him! I hate that he brought such a disgusting creature onto this world. The princess should have killed you the day she found you."

"You are crossing lines Sarge."

"Lines for what? You can't touch me! If you do I can have you jailed for life. The princess would be behind me all the way. Just because you were found by a princess doesn't make you a prince Talon! You're just the son of a bastard and the son of the dirty bitch you call mother."

Talon curled his claw into a fist and turned around and punched the Sarge who fell back into another table. Every jaw in the room dropped as they witnessed a soldier attacking a superior. This had never happened in the Home front Militia and they wanted to see the outcome.

"You just started to dig your own grave Talon. I see a shitload of PT in your future."

"If I started to dig my own grave, then I'm going all six feet you bastard!" yelled Talon. A few of the ponies moved in to try and stop Talon but they were too late. Talon dove at the Sarge.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Hold up!" yelled Delta, "You're telling me that you actually fought your CO?"

"Damn straight." responded Nails.

"How did you not get arrested for something as dumb as that?" Delta responded.

"I'm getting there just hold on."

Talon and the Sarge rolled around on the floor locked in their scuffle while the other ponies were helpless to watch. Talon finally gained the upper hand and started to relentlessly strike the Sarge.

"I'm done with you!" shouted Talon as he landed punch after punch, "I'm done with your rules! I'm done with your PTs; I'm done with all of your shit!"

"Corporal Talon!" a voice rang out across the room. Talon looked up and to his horror; Princess Celestia was standing at the door. The Sarge also looked to see who his savior was and smiled when he saw the princess standing there.

"Come with me this instant!" demanded Celestia. Talon had no choice and let go of the Sarge to follow the princess. He heard the Sarge call him out as he left the mess hall.

"You're in deep shit now you son of a bitch! I hope they lock you up for good!" yelled the Sarge.

Talon caught up with the princess and was the first to speak. "I'm very sorry Princess Celestia. I know that I have failed you and will accept any punishment you decide to give me."

"Talon, what you did today was very foolish and unheard of!" responded Celestia, "However, not many can beat Bluebonnet the way you did."

Talon had to fight off the urge to laugh at hearing the Sarge's real name for the first time. Celestia noticed this.

"Go ahead and laugh Talon."

"Why should I laugh? I'm getting punished aren't I?" responded Talon.

"Not punished, you're getting reassigned."

"Reassigned?"

"To Special Forces."

"What's that?" asked Talon.

"Of course, I'm sorry. I forget that only the royal guard and the militia's captains know about Special Forces. They are the true spearhead of our army. They are the ones that will go in and fight the war. The Militia is only for when they fail and we have to fight on our own soil."

"Let's hope that day never comes."

"I believe that it won't. In order to make it into Special Forces you have to be the best of the best. Me and Luna along with some of the leaders of Special Forces will hand pick all of its soldiers. It's truly an honor to go into them."

"But, if they're hand-picked then why am I going?" asked Talon, "You saw me fighting with...Bluebonnet. I wouldn't exactly call that the best of the best!"

"We've actually had our eyes on you for a while."

"Ever since you found me?"

"Yes, back then however we were seeing if you would be more griffon like or pony. We have decided that you are definitely more pony in your head."

"I think it's great, me being part griffon. When I fight, everything just seems to slow down. It's like I have reflexes that I never had to train. I know things about fighting that others don't even understand."

"And that is exactly why we believe you were mistreated by Bluebonnet. It's a good thing that you probably put him in the infirmary so that he can't do any more damage for a while."

"So, you're saying that it was ok for me to attack him?" asked Talon.

"Well Talon, it wasn't ok by our standards, but does that mean it was the wrong thing to do so? You defended yourself, and you did it so well that I instantly knew that it was time for you to go to the Black Stallions."

"The Black Stallions? I thought I was going to Special Forces!"

"You are, the Black Stallions are named after the original elements of Harmony. The original group used that name and so the Special Forces adopted it."

Talon had no idea what Princess Celestia had meant by elements of harmony but he ignored it. "So, where are these Special Forces? I've never seen them around the camp and they definitely aren't in a city."

"The main base is actually located in Canterlot. It's so well hidden though that nopony will ever find it, even if they did, there are several spells guarding it."

"No offense your majesty, but aren't there ways around spells?"

"That's true, but the magic of me and my sister surpasses any unicorn in Equestria." said Celestia as she came to a stop, "We're here."

Talon looked out at an empty clearing. To the untrained eye, it would be just that... empty. But Talon's eyes didn't need training. Because he was part griffon, he could easily see that there was something here that wasn't natural.

"Something wrong here." said Talon to Princess Celestia, "I don't know what, but it just doesn't look right."

"You are right. Some would expect maybe a trapdoor or maybe even a building in the side of a cliff. We have made it so undetectable so that you have to know it's there."

"So where is it then?"

Celestia took out a small medallion. Talon recognized it as the royal seal. She held it up and it caught the sunlight. As soon as the sunlight hit the seal it began to glow. A group of trees off to the side began to slowly disappear. Talon stared as a building appeared behind the trees.

"Magic." was all he could think to say.

"Come on in Talon. Oh and don't worry about getting back in. The day you leave is the last day you will ever see this place. Now, it's time you met the others." said Celestia as she walked into the building. Talon followed closely behind her as the trees began to reappear. Talon looked around as they walked down the hallway. They approached a desk where a stallion was asleep with his face down on the desk.

"I thought you said these were the best of the best!" Talon said to Celestia. He then felt a knife at his back as the stallion on the desk disappeared.

"We are." said a voice from behind. Talon turned around to see the exact same stallion behind him holding a knife with magic. "You must be the FNG."

"FNG?" said Talon as the unicorn walked back behind the desk.

"It's what we call the new guys around here." said the unicorn as he sat back down, "I don't know what it means. Maybe somepony like Bladestorm would know he's been around here since before me. My name's Illusion." said the unicorn extending a hoof. "I was the one on front desk duty today."

"Talon." replied Talon as he extended his claw forward. Instead of taking it however, the unicorn just stared at it.

"Is something wrong?" asked Talon.

"No, nothing. I've just never seen something like this before. Were you born with that?"

"Yeah, my dad was half griffon."

"So, that must mean that your family is originally from the griffon lands. That means that you have fighting blood in your veins. I like you already."

"That's a good change of pace. My last CO hated me."

"Talon, first thing you need to learn about this place. Nopony has a rank here. Nopony is your CO, we are all good friends and we are each other's trainers. I am as much your trainer as you are mine. After all, who can teach the best to be better?"

"Ok, so where is everypony else?"

"Right this way. I'll get somepony to show you around. I have to do the front desk. Someday, you'll have your shift and let me tell you, you will want nothing more than a good workout afterwards."

"Well, I must be going now." said Princess Celestia.

"Of course, it was nice seeing you Princess." said Illusion.

"Talon, I expect you to work hard at your new position."

"Yes Ma'am." replied Talon.

As Celestia left, the two ponies walked down the hallway. They went through a set of doors at the end and Talon was shocked by what he saw on the other side. There were Pegasi flying in formation at dummies while unicorns were casting a wide barrage of spells. Talon would have stared at the sight for hours had he not heard a voice call out.

"Hey Guys!" shouted a gray earth pony, "We got an FNG here!"

Everypony in the room immediately stopped what they were doing and looked over at Talon. One lone voice sounded out.

"FNG." another voice joined, "FNG!" more and more voices joined as the chant kept going. Talon had no idea what they were doing until the gray pony walked up to him.

"My name is Bladestorm; I'm with the Earth regiment. Welcome to the Black Stallions kid."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Damn!" laughed Delta as he rocked back and forth at his seat. "They roasted you on the first day?"

"Ya." replied Nails, "It happened to everypony. I got to roast a few myself."

"Still, doesn't that set a bad first impression?" asked Eagle Eye.

"Yeah, it did, but that's what made it so great." replied Nails, "You go in thinking they're gonna kill you, they start roasting, then you get welcomed."

"And the soldiers that fought Equestria's wars were these guys?"

"Hey, we got the job done and that's all that matters."

"So what did FNG stand for?" asked Blunderbuss.

"Fucking new guy." replied Talon with a small smile.

"Ok enough with this talking!" said Musket, "I want to hear where this is going."

"Bladestorm, perfect." said Illusion, "I need to get back to the desk and Talon here needs to know everything. You good for it?"

"Sure." replied Bladestorm, "I'm always glad to meet new soldiers."

"Great, oh and by the way? Check out the hooves." said Illusion as he left to go back to the front desk.

Bladestorm was confused at first but immediately realized what Illusion had been talking about when he looked down.

"That's interesting." said Bladestorm.

"My claw?" said Talon, "I was born with it. My dad was part griffon. I wish I had known him."

"What happened to him?" asked Bladestorm.

"I don't know." replied Talon, "I was found by Princess Luna when I was a baby. They thought I would cause problems if they let me live in the country, since they didn't know how much of me was griffon, so they put me in the militia."

"Seems legit." responded Bladestorm, "Do you have any specialties?"

"Specialties?"

"You know stealth, breaching, hand-to-hand, knives, range, anything like that?"

"I don't really know. I was always trained for if we got invaded. We were taught to fight hand-to-hand."

"So they still haven't changed." said Bladestorm, "Guess that means we have to start from square one. How strong are you?"

"I'm pretty strong considering most of my training was getting PTed by my CO."

"Either you were really undisciplined or he hated you and I don't think Celestia would put the former in Special Forces."

"He didn't have any reason. I think it was just because I'm part griffon."

"Well, PTs and strength are pretty separate though they do feed off each other. Let's go do the test."

"Test?"

"Strength test. It's standard for all new soldiers to take. It's nothing special that you could work at to get better. It's just a simple load carry. You'll be competing against your team's scores."

"I don't have a team yet." responded Talon.

"Yes you do. You're on my team. We were short one man to make the required six and Celestia probably moved you up for that reason. I'll introduce you to the rest later. Right now we should get your strength evaluated."

The two made their way to an open area in the giant room where there was a giant crude looking harness on one side of a huge opening. Suddenly, Talon had a question.

"Bladestorm, just how big is this place?"

"I don't know the exact number but I believe it's around 500,000 square feet and about 1000 feet high."

"That big?"

"With a little help from magic yeah."

Talon and Bladestorm walked over to the harness where Bladestorm began to put it onto Talon's back.

"Now this harness weighs about 1500 pounds. All you have to do is carry it as far as you can. There are no second chances here so give it all you got."

"1500 pounds!" responded Talon.

"We have to aim high." responded Bladestorm as an earth pony and pegasus walked up to them.

"Hey Bladestorm, this the FNG?" asked the earth pony.

"Yep. Talon, I'd like you to meet Earthshaker and Nighthawk. Earthshaker here is one of the other members on our team and currently holds the record for what you're about to do at 127 yards."

"Would've gone farther if I hadn't cramped. Maybe about 150 yards." responded Earthshaker.

"Hey, that's a sick looking claw you got there." said Nighthawk, "Taking a guess here that you're part griffon."

"Yeah." responded Talon as he worked on getting harnessed in.

"Well, I have to say the griffons know how to fight. I can see why Celestia moved you here."

"Well, that should just about do it." said Bladestorm as he finished harnessing Talon, "When I say go, you will walk as far as you can. Your knees touch the ground, the test is over and the distance you walked will be measured. Should any physical problems occur, you will be asked to stop. Are you ready?"

"Ready." responded Talon.

"Go."

Talon started to walk as the weight crushed down onto his back. He could feel it dig into his skin but he kept walking. He focused on the weight and he couldn't hear anything except his own breathing as he walked. His heart rate skyrocketed as more oxygen was rushed to his muscles. He closed his eyes to block as much of the pain as he could and continued to walk.

"How far do you think he's gone so far?" asked Nighthawk as the three watched Talon walk.

"I'd say your record's gonna be shattered Earthshaker. About fifty yards in and he hasn't slowed down."

"Pity. I was getting used to having that record."

Talon continued walking with the weight on his back while Bladestorm, Earthshaker, and Nighthawk watched. He knew they were talking but he couldn't hear anything they were saying. He was too focused the test to care anyway. He trudged onward, fighting through the pain.

"Do you think he's realized yet?" said Nighthawk.

"If he knew that everyone in the room was watching him right now, I think he would have shown some kind of acknowledgment." said Bladestorm. He looked at all the faces in the crowd that had gathered around the testing area. Pegasi, unicorns, and especially earth ponies had gathered to watch the spectacle as Talon passed what many assumed was the two hundred yard mark and continued onward. But Talon didn't know that. He had no idea how far he had travelled and had no intentions of stopping yet. He continued forward, making certain that he didn't stop until he truly had nothing left. He felt one leg begin to give out so he quickly snapped it back into a locked position. He kept marching forward wary that his legs were almost at their breaking point. He felt his claw arm begin to give out and as he snapped it into place he felt his other leg weaken under the weight. He gritted his teeth and kept walking, determined to get as much out of them as he could. He began to fall forward so he sped up to catch himself. Sweat poured off of his body as he pushed it to its maximum, and then beyond it. He felt his weak knees give out and he fell forward onto his face. It was only a few seconds later that he heard several ponies at work getting the harness off of him. His shoulders felt relieved as the weight fell to his side with a loud thud. He remained on the ground as Bladestorm walked towards him.

"Well, that was a great demonstration Talon. Had we been scoring this test based on numbers. I would say that you have just rewritten the system." he said as he looked down at the tape measure. "We have a new record."

"How far? 130... 140 yards?" asked Talon.

"Not quite." responded Bladestorm as he turned to face the crowd, "Three hundred and seventeen yards give it up for Talon!"

Talon's jaw dropped as he heard the number. There was no way he had walked that far. He looked back at the starting line only to realize that he could barely see it. He had gone that far. He heard the roar of the crowd as they cheered for him and he made a decision right there.

"I think I'm going to like it here."

"It didn't take long after that test for me to gain a reputation around the cave as we called it. I never abused my reputation, I carried out all of duties just like anypony else. Me and Nighthawk became extremely close friends along with the rest of my team. We did a lot of extra stuff so that when we did get deployed, we would be ready for whatever got thrown our way. We knew that we wouldn't see Nighthawk that often after the war started, but we knew that we could "Require" his team's help during missions. When the time came for our ranks to be assigned, we had no idea what to expect. We had turned in weekly reports to Celestia about who had done what so she knew how hard anypony worked. Lo and behold there were only a few command ranks given out, a few were in our team. I got Major General and Bladestorm got Brigadier General. Nighthawk had gotten Colonel and was moved to another team that needed a command position. Nopony in the Earth regiment was separated due to fewer soldiers, but it was fine. We all knew that to rearrange would take too long, besides, that was the day when we finally did get deployed."

"Ok now, we will be sending you straight to Forshan now." said Princess Celestia as she addressed the soldiers, "My sister and I realize that all of you have trained very hard and are ready for this challenge. We wish all of you the best of luck. But before we teleport all of you there. Luna would like to see Talon in private for a moment."

Talon tensed up a little. It was odd for a princess to ask for a private audience with a soldier. This was obviously something very important.

"Well don't just stand there like an idiot!" said Bladestorm, "Go see what she wants!"

Talon slowly walked forward to Celestia.

"Yes your Highness?"

"Luna is waiting for you in your team's room."

Talon didn't say anything as he began to walk towards his team's room. He had no idea what to expect from Princess Luna when he got there so he could just hope that he wasn't being punished for anything. He was certain he hadn't done anything wrong and he was shaking a little as he walked up to the door of his room. Before he could even knock, the door was opened by a smiling Luna.

"Come in." she said as she moved aside to let Talon in. She noticed his nervousness. "It's ok; you have not done anything wrong. I just wanted to talk to you about something. Please, sit down."

Talon felt better now that he knew it was nothing bad so he took a seat as Luna began to talk.

"I know you don't remember your mother, and I am sorry for this. When I found you all those years ago, she was already dead and you were just a baby. As you probably realize, the citizens of Equestria think that I am currently banished to the moon but soon I am supposed to be released. I believe that one of my sister's students has taken a particular interest in the subject; however I cannot recall her name. I'm sorry, I have begun to ramble. I just wanted to say that during the time I was recently at my hidden location of Equestria, I found something near the old shipwreck. I don't know what it is but I believe it belonged to someone on board the ship your mother was on. I have not looked inside and I don't have any idea what you would find in there. It may contain information about what happened to your mother." said Luna.

Talon looked at the book she had given him and then back at her. "I've gotten over that your highness. I've learned that nothing in the past matters, only that which is in the present."

"I'm glad to hear that all this training has not made you ignorant."

"Princess Luna?"

"Yes Talon."

"I do have one question about my mother. Did you ever see her alive, or was she already dead when you found me?"

"She was already dead; I wish we could have found out your real name Talon."

"With all due respect your highness I am perfectly fine with the one I came up with."

"That being said, we should probably return to the rest of the troops."

"Yes your highness."

Talon and Princess Luna began the trek back to the others who were eagerly waiting for them to arrive. Luna went to stand by her sister while Talon went to his team. As he went by Nighthawk he gave his friend a thumbs up who returned that with a wink.

"What did she want?" whispered Bladestorm as Talon got back in line.

"She just gave me this." said Talon as he showed Bladestorm the book.

"All that trouble for that." said Bladestorm.

"What trouble? That was barely anything." responded Talon.

"Ok, call it what you want we're about to go. While you were gone the princess told us what was going to happen. Each team will be slow teleported to a different part of Forshan. Once there, the teams will have free reign to organize missions, communicate with other teams, and attempt to track down the ultimate prize."

"Iron Foot." said Talon as he faced forward again.

"Ok, I will know begin the spell." said Celestia as her horn began to glow.

Talon had once talked to Illusion about teleportation spells. Illusion had told him that slow teleporting was different than normal teleporting because the entire body moved as a unit whereas in normal teleporting the skeletal frame went first followed by the body. He felt himself getting engulfed in the magic as the room before him began to fade away into blackness. Talon felt himself touch ground again a few minutes later and he looked up to see desert surrounding him. As the highest rank on his team he immediately began doing his duties. He saw Firemane to his left.

"Captain Firemane, make sure that everypony is present and accounted for."

"Yes sir." responded Firemane who instantly began checking everyone to make sure they were the team. "We have everypony." said Firemane as he finished.

"Good. Now, where's that map of Forshan?"

"Right here." said Bladestorm procuring the map.

"Let's see." said Talon as he unrolled the map. He couldn't see anything in the surrounding environment to distinguish this area from any other on the map. "We have to find a town. Once we do we can find out where we are and start working from there."

"Good idea, which direction should we head?" asked Earthshaker.

"Probably east, on this map it shows a greater density of towns in the East so if we head that direction we should find something. Now," said Talon as he rolled up the map again, "Let's move quickly so we can search during daylight hours."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"From this point for a while I can't tell you anything much. All I can say is that we executed several missions all over Forshan from assassinations, sabotage, search and rescue, and a few reconnaissance. We did a few joint missions with Nighthawk's team and our friendship grew. For a few months everything was going smooth. Then we get word that somepony had been killed. Of course it had been one of the unicorns since there weren't very many in Forshan, but then we got word that another one had died, then another, and another. The next thing we knew a whole team had been taken out during a mission. The enemy was quickly finding us and eliminating us wherever they found us. My team however was still fully alive. I didn't know what I would do if I lost someone on my team during a mission. They can prepare you for a lot of things in training, but nothing could have ever prepared me for that one night."

"Hell of a dinner Talon, you're a stallion of many talents." said Flashfoot as he set down his wooden plate.

"Hey, don't get used to good food, tomorrow is Firemane's turn to cook and we all know how that turned out last time." said Bladestorm as he started to laugh. The whole group started laughing except for Talon and Firemane.

"I try my hardest guys; you have to realize that it's not funny. Talon isn't laughing are you Talon? Talon?" said Firemane as he looked at Talon who was staring into the dark.

"There something out there, I just saw It." said Talon as he got up and picked up his knife.

"What the hell could you have seen?" asked Bloodheart who was trying to see, "I can't see anything past the tents!"

"You have to remember," spoke up Bladestorm, "He's part griffon so he has heightened sight."

"Oh yeah, I spend so much time with him I forget about a lot of that shit." responded Bloodheart.

"Give me something to use as a light." said Talon as he got up. Bladestorm gave Talon a burning stick and Talon walked away from the camp. They could see him walking out into the darkness as the fire showed them his position. About one hundred yards out he set down the torch and they could see him looking at something.

"Help me!"

All five jumped up and sprinted over to where Talon had yelled from. When they got there they saw tears forming in his eyes as he worked to save a pegasus lying in his arms.

It was Nighthawk.

"He's still breathing!" said Talon as the others approached, "Get me something to patch up these wounds!" Firemane ran back to the camp for the medical supplies while Talon and the others stayed there. There was a knife sticking out of Nighthawk's chest.

"Talon." came the weak voice of Nighthawk.

"I'm here buddy, stay with me!"

"I need... to tell... you something..."

"What is it Nighthawk what happened? Hurry up with those medical supplies!"

"We were launching a raid on... a base. They killed all of them... only I... escaped."

"I'm back." said Firemane as he dropped the medical kit beside Talon who quickly opened it and removed the knife from Nighthawk's chest which caused blood to flow from the wound.

"There's more..." came Nighthawk's weak voice, "We were the last pegasi team... and the last unicorn team went with us... Once I'm gone..."

"Don't talk like that Nighthawk you're gonna make it!" snapped Talon who was bandaging several wounds.

"Once I'm gone..." continued Nighthawk, "your team will be the last one remaining... The last ones still fighting for Equestria... Don't let the war end for us... Make sure you kill those bastards." finished Nighthawk as his eyes began to close.

"Stay with me you son of a bitch!" yelled Talon as Nighthawk began to slip, "I'm not gonna let go of you!"

"I'm sorry Talon; this is the end for me..."

"Nighthawk." said Talon as his friend's eyes closed one more time. "Nighthawk!" Nighthawk's body went limp. "NIGHTHAWK!" yelled Talon as he began to cry. One of the best friends he had ever had was now dead in his arms, and there was no bringing him back. He felt Bladestorm put his hoof on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Talon, he's gone."

"As I sat there with Nighthawk dead in my arms, I began to think. He had said that my team was the last one remaining and that struck a chord. That means that the next Equestrian soldier to die would be another one of my friends. I didn't want to witness any more of their deaths. So that night, I made the toughest decision anyone could ever make."

The six soldiers sat around the campfire that they had left to bury Nighthawk. What had been a talkative evening had quickly gone extremely sour. Nobody wanted to say anything after what had just happened. It was Talon who broke the silence.

"I've been thinking." said Talon as he looked into the flames of the fire, "Nighthawk... He said that our team was the last one alive. It pains me to say this but... If we want to win this war I don't think we can be a team anymore."

"What?" exclaimed Bladestorm who was obviously confused.

"Look at the facts!" said Talon as he stood up, "Special Forces aren't dying off one at a time anymore! It has been one team at a time. It won't be long until ours is next so I think we need to stay alive for as long as we can. The only way to do that is if we don't travel together. We can still fight for Equestria and I'm not asking you guys to do this. These are orders."

"What makes you so certain we can stay alive longer?" asked Bloodheart.

"Simple, a bigger target is easier to hit. We make several smaller targets instead, it gets harder. To be honest I think it's hardest for me. I've never had friends outside of Special Forces and you guys probably have. I hate saying good-bye, but damn it somepony has got to do it!" said Talon.

The group fell silent for a few minutes until Bladestorm broke it again. "He's right. With more of us fighting our own ways we would have a better chance at surviving, and besides, it only takes one pony to kill Iron Foot. One of us might get lucky."

"I agree." said Firemane, "I hate saying it but we need to split up."

"So I guess this means good-bye?" said Earthshaker.

"Until we see each other again." said Talon.

"It was agreed that I would stay at the camp and the others would leave. I didn't fight to get that right but all of the others insisted. They each went to pack up there things and we all said our good-byes. We all agreed that we wouldn't do anything stupid that would cause trouble for Equestria. It didn't take long for something like that to happen, because. That night, after all of the events that had occurred. I was at my most vulnerable, and fate was not going to go easy on me because I had one bad night."

Talon sat alone at the campfire as the moon began to set and the sun peeked over the horizon. Just hours ago he had been laughing with his comrades before tragedy struck. He wished it all a dream, a nightmare maybe, but alas, it had all happened. Nighthawk was dead, the team had split up, and now he sat by the fire alone. He hadn't moved all night as he just thought about what the future might hold. He hoped that all of his teammates would survive this war and wished that it had never come to this in the first place. Right now he would have given anything to see their faces again, maybe to go on one more mission together. He knew he couldn't have that; all that really mattered in the end was that Equestria was safe. If he died in the process then he had done his job. He picked up a rock in his claw and examined it. It didn't really seem to be just one rock but more like a bunch of different rocks that didn't belong together just cemented to each other. He threw the rock at his tent when he heard a racket from the inside. He cursed realizing that he must have made a mess so he went into his tent to see what had happened. As he looked around he saw that the entire contents of his bag had spilled and were littered across the ground. He started to pick everything up and was almost finished when something caught his eye. A little book, the one that Luna had given him the day he was deployed. He tried to remember what she had said about it, something about it belonging to someone on the ship that carried his mother to Equestria. Curiosity took hold of him and he went over to his sleeping bag and opened it. He began to read and soon realized that it had belonged to his mother. Now he was really interested in the book. He continued to read it realizing that it was his story. The missing history that he had never known and he had not been willing to look into the book until now. His mother had also written the story of how his father was born. He read how his father had killed a griffon and was adopted by the clan chief. He read how his father was forced to flee one day in order to stay alive. How his mother and father met and got married. He read how the griffons had found his father and forced them to run to a port to try and flee the country. How his father died while defending the ship bound for the zebra nation as it set sail without him. How a storm blew the ship off course and it ran out of supplies. The more and more he read, the angrier he got. He wanted revenge for what the griffons had done to him, he wanted blood.

Talon got out a map of the whole world and found the town that his father had lived in before fleeing. It seemed that so many years ago, the griffons of that town thought that they had gotten rid of an abomination. The sins of their fathers needed punishment, and right then, Talon made the decision that he was going to do it.

"Why are you going into that!" said Musket, "You make it sound like you're proud of what you did to those griffons!"

"To be honest, none of you know what really happened that day do you?" said Nails.

"Well, we have a general idea of what happened." said Blunderbuss.

"But you don't know exactly." responded Nails, "I do realize that what I did so many years ago was the wrong thing to do and I do regret it, but at the same time... I regret nothing..."

"What do you mean? Are you saying that you don't regret what you did to those families?" asked Eagle Eye.

Nails responded to this with a cool attitude, "I'm not saying I don't regret the actions, but to be honest, without it happening, I never would have met Delta."

"I hate to say it," said Blunderbuss, "But now I'm curious. What did happen all those years ago?"

"I'll tell you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Talon looked out over the village. Years ago his father had lived here and these griffons had taken his life for no reason. The sins of the fathers always came back as it seemed and tonight, he was going to have his revenge for what these griffons had taken away from him. He made his way down the hill; a burning hatred filled his heart and mind as he saw the sunlight hitting the various griffons in the town as they went about their daily business. From what he had gathered about this particular town, he had discovered that the current leader was named Hurricane. The same griffon that his mother had witnessed killing his father before she met the same fate herself. It was him that he was targeting but he also had a second objective in mind... No witnesses.

As he came closer to the town one griffon noticed him and glided over to Talon. Unknowing what was about to happen.

"Hello." said the griffon that had yet to notice the claw that was Talon's right arm, "Welcome to Gale Town, population 47. One of the smallest, most peaceful griffon settlements in the world. I'm John Breeze, What can I do for you?"

Talon grabbed the griffon by the neck with his claw and lifted him off the ground.

"You can start by telling me what the fuck my father ever did to you."

The griffons eyes widened in horror as he began to flap his wings to try and get away, but Talon wasn't going to let that happen. He drew his knife in his mouth and stabbed the griffon in the neck. Blood poured into the street as a few patrons noticed the scene.

"Murder!" shouted one of them causing every single head on the street to turn towards Talon. He grinned devilishly before he threw his knife into the neck of another griffon. Now, the griffons had gotten really angry. The men charged towards him while the women herded the children into buildings and homes. Talon didn't intend to leave until every single griffon in the town was dead. He turned to face his attackers who had taken to the sky in an attempt to use the only advantage they had against him. Several sparring matches with Nighthawk had prepared him to face airborne opponents. One of them dove down towards him with their claws outstretched in an attempt to impale Talon. At the last moment, Talon rolled to the side and grabbed hold of the griffons outstretched claws and used the griffon's momentum to smash their head against the ground dazing them. Before they could realize what happened, Talon was upon him and snapped the griffons neck. He turned to see another griffon diving towards him, this time with a large kitchen knife.

Talon positioned himself next to a building where he waited for the griffon to get closer before he rolled forwards delivering an upward buck to the griffon's chest causing them to lose control and crash into the building. Talon heard a crack as the skull fractured and blood poured into the griffon's brain. Talon picked up the knife and cut off one of the griffon's wings to ensure there was no escape for the griffon in pain. He turned around just in time to see two more griffons charging at him. He raised his knife and rolled to the side delivering a cut to the neck of the first griffon and he stabbed the other griffon in the chest. He pulled out the knife before turning to see the rest of the small number of men charging him. He took an offensive stance and charged straight towards them. He went into an absolute frenzy with the knife; cutting, stabbing, slashing, he decapitated one griffon as blood squirted everywhere from the knife hitting veins, arteries, and capillaries as Talon slaughtered every single griffon he saw. He finally killed the last male griffon that had attacked him when his eyes spotted a younger griffon watching him through a window. He saw the mother pull the griffon away from the window and he charged towards the building. He kicked down the door where he saw a mother with two children standing behind her.

"Don't hurt them!" the mother cried, "What did they ever do to you!"

"It's not what they did." said Talon with a devilish tone, "It's the sins of their fathers they need to worry about." said Talon as he stabbed the mother and then proceeded to kill the children. No thought went through his head the rest of that day as he continued to slaughter the griffons. Finally, he made his way to the chief's house. He had not seen any griffons with the marks of a chief so he assumed that the chief was holed up in the building tight. Griffons didn't do much diplomacy between towns so the chief had to be in there. He knew that the chief would be watching the front door so Talon found another entrance by the chimney on top of the house.

He made sure to control his descent as he slowly made his way down the chimney into the home of the griffon. When he reached the bottom he saw the chief griffon closely watching the front door with what Talon believed to be a device called a gun pointing directly at it. He smiled as he realized that his revenge would be reached fully that day. He snuck up behind the griffon before he stabbed the griffon in the hand causing him to drop the small gun from his right hand. He turned around to see a fist coming his way, knocking him unconscious.

"Damn." said Eagle Eye as he listened to the story, "You are one cruel bastard."

"Call me what you want, I'm not proud of what I did that day." responded Nails, "Sadly, I haven't told you the worst part of it all..."

Hurricane woke up slowly with a sharp pain in his head. He looked at his surroundings and saw that he was in the middle of the town. He tried to move but found himself restrained by ropes. He looked closer at the ground and saw blood... It hadn't been a nightmare, it was really happening.

"So you're finally awake." came a voice from behind. The griffon craned his neck and was able to see a pony behind him, one with a claw for a hand.

"What the fuck do you want?" shouted Hurricane at the mystery assailant.

"Now now, that's not very good language to use around your family." said Talon as he dragged the tied up family into the view of Hurricane.

"Don't hurt them!" shouted Hurricane as he saw his wife and child, "I'll give you anything! Just please don't hurt them!"

"So you'll let me have anything?"

"Yes!"

"Good." said Talon as he took out a knife, "Because I want revenge." Talon drove the knife into the chest of the child while Hurricane and his wife screamed at the top of their lungs. "You should have thought about the repercussions of murdering my father."

"Is that what this is about!" shouted Hurricane while his wife cried, "All of this because of my mistake? Why did you kill everyone in the village?"

"Because they are involved by association, they let it happen. None of them tried to stop you when you left to murder my father after he had done nothing to you!" said Talon as he took the knife out of the child's body and moved it to the neck of Hurricane's wife.

"Don't touch her!"

"You shouldn't have touched him." Talon swiftly cut the jugular vein and blood poured out onto the ground as Hurricane's wife slumped over, still tied to their dead child.

"Kill me then!" shouted Hurricane as tears flowed from his eyes, "Kill me!"

"Don't worry I will, but not quickly... No, you would enjoy that too much. Have you noticed what you're sitting on?"

Hurricane looked down to see that he was indeed sitting on a log which had several smaller sticks surrounding it. It then became clear what this pony planned to do to him.

"So that's it? You're just going to burn me?"

"That's about it." said Talon as he took out a match.

"I'm sorry for killing your father! I'm sorry! I was young and foolish when I killed him, I'm sorry!"

"Tell it to my father." said Talon as he lit the sticks below the log. The fire moved quickly along the dry wood and it didn't take long until the flames were licking at Hurricane's skin. He screamed in agony as his body experienced pain like no other. He looked into the pony's eyes as the flames overtook his body. Talon walked away from the burning griffon and took a look at the prize he had obtained. He had taken the gun that Hurricane had been holding as a prize; maybe he could learn to use it. He started to walk away from the village towards the cart that had several crates of ammunition that went with the gun. He looked back as he hitched up to see a building catch on fire. Hopefully the entire village would burn down. A movement caught his eye the smoke. It was definately a griffon flying away. He looked at it and saw that it wasn't Hurricane; this griffon seemed to be younger, perhaps in its teenage years. He memorized every detail of the griffon as it flew away; he swore that if he ever saw it again he would kill them to finish his work here. He walked away from the village with the cart in tow.

"What was the gun?" asked Eagle Eye.

"This one right here." said Nails as he tossed his revolver to Eagle Eye, "It's got no exact maker since they were issued out privately. I believe that they were called the Peacemakers and they fire a .45 caliber round, right Delta?"

"That's right." responded Delta, "that .45 round really hurts."

"What?" said Musket, "It sounds like you've been shot by one."

"I guess I should continue my story now." said Nails.

Talon walked through the griffon lands on his way back to Forshan with the ammunition in tow. He walked for several hours until he finally stopped by a lake. He looked back towards where the village was, or had been. A large plume of smoke was rising above the area that had hours ago, housed a small griffon population. He looked towards the horizon and he saw a griffon flying towards the village. The griffon was flying relatively low and was coming from the direction of the griffon capital. Talon decided that this would be a perfect chance to try out his new gun. He pulled it out and pulled back the hammer like he had seen Hurricane use it. He assumed that the protrusion on the end was supposed to be used for aiming so he closed his left eye and took aim at the griffon's head. He pulled the trigger and the bullet flew through the air. The resulting bang was louder than Talon had anticipated and he cursed. He looked back at the griffon who was now furiously flapping their wings. It was obvious that Talon had only hit the griffon in the wing. On closer inspection of the falling griffon he realized that the griffon was on a collision course with him. He drew his knife that he had taken from the griffons and waited for the griffon to land. When the griffon finally did land he was so focused on the landing that he wasn't paying attention to Talon who pounced on him as soon as he had touched down. The two rolled around on the ground fighting for control until Talon ended up on top with the knife in his mouth. The disoriented griffon shook his head and looked up at Talon. A sudden look came upon the griffon's face, not one of fear, but of shock.

"I know you!" said the griffon.

"So, word about me travelled faster than I expected. What do you know about what I did?"

"What are you talking about? I'm just on my way to investigate the smoke! The way I know you is that I knew your father."

"How do you know my father?"

"I was from the same village as him, and I'm pretty sure that most ponies don't have that." said the griffon while Talon was still on top of him, obviously referring to the claw.

"I bet you were one of those assholes who killed him aren't you!" shouted Talon.

The griffon had an extremely confused look on his face. "Killed him?" responded the griffon, "Why would I kill my own uncle?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"What the hell are you talking about!" said Talon as he delivered a strong punch to the jaw of the griffon, "Who the hell do you think I am?"

The griffon spat blood out of his mouth along with a few teeth, "I think your father was from that village that looks like it's on fire." said the griffon as he looked towards the smoke, "And from the looks of it you didn't obey a few laws."

"I promised myself I wouldn't leave any witnesses." said Talon as he raised the knife, "You aren't going to turn me in."

"Wait!" yelled the griffon whose eyes had widened, "I can get you pardoned!"

Talon stopped and looked at the griffon, "Really? Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, no joke!" responded the griffon, "I have some pull on the griffon government, my dad, Cirrus, he's a member of the high council and he was very close to your father."

"You say your dad so you mean my uncle?" asked Talon.

"Pretty much, I can tell him the story and see if he can do anything about it."

"You're not gonna try and turn me in?"

"Of course not!" shouted the griffon who then felt Talon getting off of him.

"What's your name?" asked Talon.

"Delta." responded the griffon, "And yours?"

"Talon."

"So is that what your mother named you? Because that doesn't sound like a pony name." said Delta.

"Nah, my mother died shortly after giving birth to me. I was found by Princess Luna of Equestria."

"So you're royalty?" asked Delta.

"Nope, I'm a soldier. Part of an eli-" Talon stopped talking, "I need to know if you're really on my side before I say anything else. Get me pardoned and I'll tell you more."

"Fine." said Delta who started to rub his wing.

"I guess I need to patch that up before you can fly again."

"Ya, probably." responded Delta, "I could barely land like this. Patch it up and I might be able to make it."

"If you can't I have a small painkiller you could use."

"That might help."

"So the mystery of how Delta and Nails met has been solved." said Eagle Eye, "What happened at the grand council Delta?"

"Well, it's Nails' story I think I should let him tell It." responded Delta.

"You know, you never really told me what happened at the grand council, and frankly I wanna know." said Nails.

"So I get to start telling the story now?"

"Until you get to the part where we go to Forshan."

"Ok then."

Delta rubbed his patched up wing. It felt a lot better now that Talon had patched it up.

"I'll stay right here until you get back." said Talon, "If I feel like you double-crossed me, I will not rest until I have your head."

"Ok." said Delta as he got ready to take off. He gave his wings an experimental flap and already felt more power in them. He took off into the sky and began to fly towards the capital city of the Griffon Union, Headwind City. It took him longer than normal due to not wanting to strain his injured wing as he made his way to his father's house. When he finally got there he walked inside and called out.

"Dad!" shouted Delta as he walked through the house.

"What is it Delta?" said his father as he walked out of his study with some papers in his hand. He looked up from the papers and he saw the bandages around Delta's wing. "What the hell happened to you Delta?"

"I got shot."

"By who? Who shot you? I'll make sure they are punished. Tell me where they are from and I will personally see the punishment through."

"Equestria."

"Well then they shall... Wait, did you say Equestria? Did a unicorn shoot you?"

"Nope, it wasn't a unicorn. It was one of those earth ponies."

"But, how could an earth pony operate a gun? They don't have any way to use one. I've never even heard of a pony shooting a gun."

"There was one."

"Your uncle was technically half pony, half griffon. He was an exception."

"Dad, were you aware that he had a kid?"

Delta's father stared at his son. "What?"

"I met him on my way to the town, from the sound of things he found out what happened to his dad and he wasn't very happy about it."

"So, that smoke they sent you to investigate... He did that?"

"Ya, I think he murdered the entire town."

"Well, I guess we have to punish him with death."

"But dad! Don't you see? You always hated that village for what they did to your brother, that's why we left in the first place."

"There's no way I could stand up for this pony and keep my job. If I lost my job they would surely get rid of you as well."

"I know, but isn't there some way you could give him a chance to live?"

"I can't think of anything unless the rest of the council was absolutely certain that he had a very small chance of survival."

Delta stomped on the ground in anger, he didn't understand why but he wanted Talon to get pardoned more than anything. He looked at the papers his dad was carrying, they were a few wanted posters, most of them for griffons that had done a few smaller crimes and were wanted alive. This gave Delta an idea.

"Falcon!" shouted Delta so suddenly that his father jumped.

"What are you talking about Delta?"

"Falcon! The only one that has killed more griffons than Talon has!"

"Talon?"

"Oh yeah, that's his name." responded Delta, "Anyway, you could convince the council to have Talon try and hunt down Falcon! If he succeeds he gets pardoned!"

"Delta," said Cirrus, "Think realistically. Anyone we've ever sent to kill Falcon has been killed in the process. To send Talon to hunt him would be the same as killing him."

"Exactly, if he didn't succeed it would be the same as punishing him; if he did succeed his reward could be that he would be pardoned in exchange for never coming back to the Griffon Union unless the council allowed him."

"Well, there is a massive reward for the head of Falcon. I might be able to convince them, but it is still highly unlikely."

"You'll at least try won't you?" asked Delta.

"I'll do my best." said Cirrus.

"You never told me that!" said Nails.

"Told you what?" asked Delta.

"That the only reason they sent me on that mission was because they thought it was a suicide mission. They didn't think I'd live through it!"

"Correction," said Delta whose smart-ass mode had engaged, "I didn't think you would have survived which was the reason I thought of it."

"So you pretty much gave up on me?" said Nails.

"Well I tried to give you a fighting chance." responded Delta, "And I believe you said I could tell the story?"

Nails threw his arms up, "Carry on then." he said in a sarcastic tone.

"Right, as I was saying...

Delta waited anxiously outside of the grand meeting hall of the high council. They had been talking for five hours trying to decide how to deal with Talon. In that time he had lit a cigar and was smoking it when his father finally came out.

"What did they say?" asked Delta enthusiastically.

"Come with me." said his father with a grave look on his face.

Delta didn't know what to expect as he followed his father into the grand meeting hall. They walked through the marble hallways until they finally reached the grand hall. Cirrus opened the doors and went to take his seat while Delta stood in the middle of the large group of griffon officials. The chief of council spoke first.

"Delta, son of Cirrus of the high council." said the high chief, "Based on your request to pardon the pony of Equestria referred to as Talon, we have determined that the crimes of said pony shall be excused in return for the death of the outlaw Falcon."

Delta gave a sigh of relief, he was excited to hear this, but the high chief didn't stop there. "As the one who has the requested the pardon, the high council sees fit that you should is the griffon to follow Talon to ensure either success or failure of this task. Should Talon succeed against all odds, we shall pardon all crimes he has committed in exchange for him never entering this country again. Should the two of you attempt to flee from us and disregard the sentence we have issued, a worldwide search shall be performed and the two of you shall be executed for crimes. Should you die during this mission, all blame shall be laid upon Talon and he shall be executed. This is the declaration of the high council."

Delta's sigh of relief had turned into a hidden panic. He had never fought before and they were expecting him to help find the most wanted griffon in the world? This couldn't be happening, but now that they had decreed it there was no turning back.

"Yes high chief, I will assure that the task is performed." said Delta with a bow.

"Council dismissed." said the high chief and the meeting room erupted into chatter. Delta located his father and ran up to him.

"So, now I have to help find Falcon? I didn't want that!" said Delta to his depressed looking father.

"I know, but the council seems to think that if Talon has to also worry about protecting you that he might not be able to perform to his best and he will die. They don't exactly want him to survive this."

"I can see that." said Delta, "The problem is that Falcon is reported to have the quickest draw in the world and be the quickest shot. How can either me or Talon compete with that?"

"I don't know." said Cirrus, "Maybe we could get you a rifle or something."

"I can't fire a rifle! The only things I've ever handled are the revolvers of a few chiefs I've visited!"

"Well, maybe we could get you a revolver. I'll go talk to the chief now and see about that." said Cirrus as he left towards the direction of the chief. Delta looked up at the ceiling of the room and asked himself,

"Why does this shit always happen to me?"

"So, all you had to do to get pardoned from doing that was to kill a criminal?" said Musket.

"Have you ever heard the story of Falcon?" said Delta.

"No." Musket responded, "Me and Blunderbuss were never told about him."

"He made Nails' crime look like a misdemeanor." said Delta, "He not only killed griffons, he killed ponies as well. Simply because, they were there. What made him dangerous though, was the fact that he was the fastest draw in the world."

"So, what happened while you went to capture Falcon?" asked Eagle Eye.

"I guess it's my turn again." said Nails.


	7. Chapter 7

Delta landed in an empty field. He had told Talon not to move and yet he was nowhere to be seen. Then, when Delta least expected it, he felt a knife against his back.

"Identify yourself." came Talon's voice.

"It's me asshole, Delta."

"I had to make sure didn't I?" said Talon as he came into Delta's view, "So am I pardoned?"

"Ya, under one condition."

"What would that be?" replied Talon.

"You have to go catch one of the worst criminals in Griffon history or die trying." replied Delta.

"Ok then, special forces against a criminal, shouldn't be that hard."

"It gets better," replied Delta, "I have to go with you and survive in order for you to get pardoned. I die, you die."

"Son of a bitch." said Talon.

"I've never fought before and they're asking me to hunt down a criminal!" exclaimed Delta, "How do you think I feel about this shit?"

"No," replied Talon, "They're telling me to hunt down one of the most wanted criminals in griffon history. You're just along for the ride."

"And where exactly am I riding to?" said Delta with a smirk.

"Well, I was hoping they gave you a lead." responded Talon.

"They didn't give me one but I think the last place they searched for him was Forshan." Talon just stood there with a surprised look on his face.

"I guess you have no idea where Forshan is," said Delta, "Looks like I'll take the lead on this one."

"I don't think so." said Talon right as Delta turned to leave, "Forshan is a country that for decades has been trying to break through Equestrian defenses in order to enslave its citizens out of pure hate. The current leader is an earth pony named Iron Foot who has managed to survive at last count four attempts on his life. It is also where I came from before I killed that village." said Talon as he began to smile.

"So you do know where it is." muttered Delta before an idea popped into his mind, "Hey Talon, we are related and going to be working together so I think we need to lay everything out on the table first."

"Fine by me as long as you go first, because I need to know if I can trust you."

"Alright," said Delta, "I have never fought a day in my life and I have only shot a gun at targets. I am pretty accurate with it but when it comes to fighting I have no battle instincts."

"Well, that makes my job harder doesn't it?" responded Talon, "I guess it's my turn now. I think I can trust you so I'll start off with the more important secret. I'm a part of an elite Special Forces unit of the Equestrian army known as the Black Stallions. A few days ago my team received word that the last unicorn and pegasi teams had been eradicated and that ours was the last earth team remaining. In an attempt to improve our chances of success, we separated cut off all contact with each other. It was then, that I learned about what happened to my father and when I left to come here. I took a gun and some ammunition from the village I attacked."

Delta stood there speechless for a few moments.

"Well, not quite the reaction I was expecting." Talon said.

"What were you expecting then?" asked Delta who had recovered from his daze.

"Maybe a sigh of relief that one of us had combat experience!"

"You single-handedly, well, I guess hoofedly, took out an entire Griffon settlement. I never doubted your skills I just didn't expect that much experience! Now, about this ammunition, can I see it?"

"Why?" asked Talon.

"To see what we should take and what we shouldn't!" responded Delta, "Ammo isn't universal."

"Ok fine, the crates are on that cart behind that rock." said Talon pointing at a large boulder. Delta moved to the cart and found several crates of ammunition and immediately recognized the ammo.

"Son of a bitch! These are forty-fives!" exclaimed Delta.

"Is that important?"

"Let me see your gun." said Delta to which Talon responded by tossing him the gun he had taken from the settlement. Delta recognized the gun immediately. "You're going to love this." said Delta, "This is a forty-five peacemaker. Only a handful of them exist in the world."

"So?"

"So," continued Delta, "The village you took this gun from only had one forty-five. Before it belonged to the chief that you killed, it belonged to your father."

Talon felt his mouth slowly fall open in awe. He took the gun back and just looked at it. Here was a connection to his father. A solid, real item that his father had owned at one time during his life. Talon made a promise to himself at that moment.

"The promise that I made to myself was that I would become the best gunman in the world in honor of my father." said Nails as the fire they had been sitting around cracked and popped. He looked around and saw that the other griffons in the camp had started to retire to bed. "Do you'll want to continue this story later?" asked Nails.

"Aww hell no!" exclaimed Eagle Eye, "We've gotten this far and we've all done missions on no sleep before. We got a good seven hours till sunrise and the fighting isn't going to start until around noon. We got plenty of time."

The Musket and Blunderbuss nodded in agreement.

"Besides," continued Eagle Eye, "When are we going to see you after tomorrow?"

"I guess you're right." responded Nails, "We left for Forshan after that and we started our search for Falcon. During that time, I trained Delta in fighting and he trained me in shooting. I quickly passed him in skill and the day I did it was when I shot a cigar in his mouth."

"So that's where that came from." said Musket, "I always thought Delta had asked you to kill him and you shot his cigar instead."

"Where the hell did you get that idea from?" asked Delta.

"I don't know," responded Musket, "I just came up with it one day."

"Right," said Nails, "Anyway, our search for him took us all over Forshan. During this time, Delta here gave me my first cigar, and it really caught on."

"Really? I didn't know you smoked." exclaimed Musket.

"I haven't smoked in a few months, I gave it up after the first time I caught Iron Foot."

"Well, carry on then." responded Musket.

"Anyway," continued Nails, "We searched every single town we could until we finally got a lead on Falcon."

"So we're finally coming to some more action in the story." said Blunderbuss, "I can't wait to hear this."

"Well," responded Nails, "You're going to have to wait a little while longer, because before we ever saw Falcon, there was an event that happened that changed everything...

"Dammit Talon, where the hell are we?" said Delta as sand started to swirl around them.

"I don't know, I can't see shit!" responded Talon. The two had found themselves in the middle of a sandstorm while chasing a lead that could point them straight to Falcon. Though they were in a mountainous area the sand had funneled through the valleys including the one that the pair was travelling through as well.

"This is getting bad!" shouted Delta so that Talon could hear him, "We need to find some shelter!"

"No shit!" responded Talon as he squinted to try and spot a little shelter. He thought he could see the faint outline of a pony motioning to them a little ways in front of them. "There's a pony over there!" shouted Talon as he pointed in the direction had seen the pony.

"You sure we can trust them?" yelled Delta as Talon started to walk towards the outline.

"Well if we can't trust them, we have guns and I doubt they would! If it comes down to it just shoot them!" yelled Talon as he saw the outline of a cave in front of him.

"If we die it's your fault!" shouted Delta.

"And if you commit suicide then it's still my fault. I'm going to take that risk!" shouted Talon as he entered the cave.

"Asshole." muttered Delta as he followed suit. The cave was large and looked extremely deep from where they were. The pony that had signaled to them originally appeared to be female and was already moving deeper into the cave. "Who is that?" asked Delta.

"I don't know, but something tells me that we're safe." responded Talon who continued to walk through the tunnel.

Delta mumbled under his breath, "If I die I'm taking you with me."

"That's the point!" responded Talon.

"I forget you're not all pony." said Delta. The two walked deeper into the caves and the temperature dropped at a steady rate until they started to see lights. At this point the temperature began to rise so they assumed that they were seeing the lights from fires. The started to walk towards the fire. Delta had drawn his gun and was slightly hovering in the air while Talon continued to walk forward as if he knew there was no danger. Delta couldn't blame him though; ever since they had been working with each other he had noticed that Talon didn't seem to fear anything. Delta caught up with Talon as they continued down the tunnel towards the light. When they reached the end it opened up into a large room where they saw several groups of ponies surrounding different fires the majority of these ponies were mares. Talon leaned towards Delta.

"Gypsies," said Talon, "I'm more familiar with gypsies around here so I'll do the talking."

"Ok then, what should we do first, Expert." Delta responded sarcastically.

"First we need to locate the matriarch. We wouldn't want to invite ourselves into their groups." said Talon as he looked around the room, "My best guess is that one over there." he said pointing towards an older mare who was around a fire near the center of the cave. Delta looked where Talon was pointing and saw an older mare; another younger mare walked up to the supposed matriarch and whispered in her ear. The older mare looked towards him and Talon before getting up and walking towards them.

"Shit Talon, she's headed this way." said Delta.

"Just let me do the talking and we should be just fine." responded Talon as the old mare stopped in front of them. She stared at Talon then down at his claw before finally speaking.

"You," said the old mare as she pointed at Talon, "You are the one."

Talon had a confused look on his face. "Me?" he responded.

"Yes, you are the one to destroy the evil." said the old mare still indicating Talon. She looked as if she hadn't even noticed Delta yet.

"What do you mean?" asked Talon.

"Veesan!" shouted the older mare, "Bring it to me!"

"Yes Madame." replied a younger mare who walked towards the back of the room.

"The exact item in question was the prophecy about me defeating Iron Foot, him coming back and me going back and giving myself up to him but I still killed him." said Nails as they sat around the fire.

"You said that it looked like one of them had motioned for you to enter the cave." said Eagle Eye, "Do you know why they did that?"

"Because she had seen who I was and thought that I fit with the prophecy." responded Nails.

"How? Didn't you say that there was a sandstorm outside?" asked Musket.

"Yeah, don't ask me how that one mare managed to see me through the sandstorm, but from what I've seen gypsies do during my time in Forshan I wouldn't put it past them. Now, after the sandstorm, me and Delta left the cave towards the nearest city which happened to be named Scimitar."

Talon looked at the town from the hill. He had told Delta to fly over the town and report anything that might be a lead while Talon walked there on his own. He was about five hundred yards away when Delta returned.

"From what it looks like there might be a lead here. I saw a few ponies carting what looked like a body through the street. I don't know if it's related to Falcon, but it's a start."

"Alright," responded Talon, "Lead the way."

"I never thought I would hear you say that."

"Yeah well, don't get used to it." said Talon as he put a cigar into his mouth and lit it. The pair walked into town just as the cart carrying the dead body turned onto the street they were on. Talon started walking towards the cart. Delta was about to yell out to him to hold on when the pony pulling the cart stopped and allowed Talon to examine the body. Delta walked to Talon as he started to talk to the other pony.

"What happened?" asked Talon.

"I found him after a team of soldiers told me to clean up an area. I guess this was what they were talkin about, I think they killed him." said the stallion pulling the cart, "Why, you know him?"

Talon put his claw onto the chest of the pony. "Yeah, I knew him."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"You know this guy?" asked Delta.

"Yeah, his name is Flashfoot. I was a friend of his. I can't think of why he would have been killed by the army though." said Talon.

"Well, now we got a name for his grave. Gotta head out now, got. Schedule to keep." said the stallion pulling the cart.

"I understand," said Talon as the stallion started to walk away with the cart in tow. "I'm sure gonna miss that son of a bitch."

"How did you know that guy?" asked Delta.

"Because I lied," said Talon as he held up a necklace which on closer inspection by Delta appeared to be dog tags. "I know exactly why the army would have killed him and I will tell you when we're not surrounded by natives to this country."

"Fair enough." said Delta "Where to now?"

"Well since that didn't turn out anything I think we should head to the saloon." said Talon.

"Someone there surely would know something." said Delta; I saw it on my fly over. It's over this way."

The two walked down the streets towards the saloon while business went on around them. Talon took notice of the large clock tower that appeared to be in the center of town. He took note of the time which was 11:15. Delta led him to the saloon where they came up with a plan outside. They walked in and immediately started asking around if anyone had seen a griffon. All of them had the same answer of no. The pair retired to the bar to rethink their strategy.

"Well, now we have no leads." said Talon as he took out a cigar. The bartender walked up to them.

"What'll it be?" asked the stallion. He was blue with a messy and uncut mane.

"I'll have a rum." said Delta.

"For you?" asked the bartender indicating Talon.

"I don't drink." was Talon's response as the bartender got Delta his drink.

"Do you take griffon money?" asked Delta as the bartender gave him the drink.

"This drink is free for you." responded the bartender.

"Why is that?" asked Delta.

"Because you're a griffon." replied the bartender.

"So you're just trying to avoid makin me angry because of what species I am?" asked Delta in a hostile way.

"Hold on Delta." said Talon who appeared to be thinking, "Rum is inexpensive around here so the bartender isn't doing this because he wants to avoid conflict, but because it's already been paid for."

"Smart pony." said the bartender, "You should listen to him more often." he said as he turned to walk away. He felt a claw garb his mane and fling him onto the bar. He opened his eyes expecting to see the griffon but instead his eyes met with the pony's. Talon drew his gun and pointed it directly at the stallion's head. "Don't shoot!" shouted the stallion. The entire saloon grew silent and turned their attention to Talon.

"Delta, we have our lead." said Talon as he started to smile.

"What makes you think that?" asked Delta.

"Because he knew what this was." said Talon indicating his gun. "And guns aren't used except by griffons. Now," said Talon turning back to the bartender. "Who paid for the drink?"

"A griffon!" shouted the bartender in response.

"Think I didn't fucking know that? I want a name!" said Talon.

"Falcon!" shouted the bartender.

"Where is he? He would have to be nearby to pay for drinks that you give away to griffons!" said Talon.

"He's in the saloon!" replied the bartender.

"We asked the patrons and none of them have seen him why not?" asked Talon.

"He's in his room!" responded the bartender, "He only comes down after closing time!"

"Can I get a number?" asked Talon.

"Room four!" said the stallion.

"Now," said Talon as he took his claw off of the bartender, "was that so hard?" Talon threw the bartender behind the bar before moving to the stairs while everyone in the room stared at him. "Go back to your drinks." he said as he disappeared up the stairs with Delta close behind.

"Where the hell did that come from?" asked Delta as they walked down the hallway together.

"I've been doing this longer than you have. I know how to get the information I want." responded Talon. He looked at the room numbers until he saw a four. "Stand back," he said to Delta, "And get your gun ready."

Delta drew his gun while Talon turned his back to the door. He rose up on his forelegs and bucked the door hard causing it to fly off its hinges. Delta turned the corner of the door with his gun drawn only to see a griffon pointing a gun directly at him. Talon turned around and saw this as well.

"Well hello there." came the griffon's deep voice, "Who might you two be?"

Delta clinched his teeth but Talon seemed to have a different response, "My name is Talon, this is Delta."

"My name is Falcon." replied the griffon who motioned for Delta to holster his gun which Delta refused to do until Talon told him to. Falcon then holstered his gun and continued to talk, "Judging by the fact that you're a griffon," he said indicating Delta, "I would say that you were sent to try and arrest me. The real question is why would a pony be sent as well?"

"I was sent because I committed a crime and they decided that this was the only way I could be pardoned." responded Talon.

"What crime is so terrible that they would send you to your likely death?" asked Falcon.

"Murder." responded Talon.

"Is that all?" asked Falcon, "Surely you did more than that."

"I killed an entire village, all for revenge." said Talon.

"That's more like it. And you?" he said indicating Delta.

"I'm what's supposed to distract him so that he dies." said Delta.

"Ah," said Falcon, "So they sent you to me to be slaughtered. Well, normally I would oblige in killing but I don't want to help the government so easily so I'll give you the smallest fighting chance you will ever get."

"What do you mean?" asked Talon.

"I've noticed two things, one you're part griffon and two you're carrying a gun. Now, there's an old griffon tradition involving guns used to settle disputes. It's a quick draw."

"Don't do it Talon." said Delta.

"If you refuse, I shall kill you know. Should you accept you will have a chance to kill Me." said Falcon, "So?"

"I accept." said Talon.

"Good," said Falcon, "follow me." Falcon led Talon outside to the street where he explained it to Talon.

"We will each walk in different directions while I count to five. When I reach five we will turn around and wait." Falcon looked up at the clock, "We will draw on the twelfth bell of noon. Any other questions?"

"No." responded Talon.

"Talon," said Delta, "You shouldn't have accepted, he will kill you!"

"So will you government," responded Talon, "I still have a chance right now." At this point Delta walked off to the side, ready to watch Talon be slaughtered.

Talon began to walk away from Falcon who was doing the same, he listened as Falcon counted. He looked up to see that the clock tower was going to be behind him with the bell visible. This would give Falcon the advantage of seeing the bell make its strike. Once Falcon said five Talon turned and immediately began to take notice of his surroundings. The distance they were at appeared to be around 40 yards. He could easily make a shot at that distance. Other than that he couldn't see anything that he could take advantage of. He began to wait patiently. He waited for what seemed like an hour. The entire street was silent, he could hear the gears inside the clock tower turning and grinding against each other as he waited. The bell rang signaling that it was noon. Talon counted out the bells.

One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine... He began to move his claw towards his gun, ten... Eleven... Talon squinted his eyes... The twelfth bell seemed to take longer but it finally sounded. Both guns were drawn almost simultaneously. Both guns fired at the same moment. There was silence. Talon dared not move and neither did Falcon. A trickle of blood ran down from Falcon's forehead. He staggered, then collapsed onto the ground dead. Talon holstered his gun, and then the fact hit him. Falcon had missed completely. Talon looked over to Delta whose mouth was hanging open.

"What?" asked Talon, "You didn't think I could do it?"

"Nope," said Delta, "I was going to shoot him after he killed you and take two body bags back home."

"Well," said Talon as he walked over to Delta, "Now you only have to take one."

"I? Aren't you going to go with me?" asked Delta.

"No, I can't go. They would find something else to blame me for and try to kill me. Wasn't that the plan the whole time?" asked Talon.

"Well, ya. But they won't be expecting you to have killed him." said Delta.

"Then I want you to throw the body bag onto the council's floor." said Talon, "Now you better get going, you've got a message to send."

"And what message would that be?" asked Delta.

"Don't fuck with me." said Talon with a smile.

"What did you do next?" Eagle Eye asked Delta.

"I did exactly what he told me to do." said Delta, "I went to the High Council and threw Falcon's body bag into the middle of the room. They thought it was Nails' at first. Hell of a surprise for them when they opened it. They actually decided that I should go through leadership training because I had proved that I could survive in a harsh environment and maybe I should try and be a part of maybe a unit in the military. When I excelled, they decided I belonged in a Special unit. That's how I got here."

"Did you see Nails after that?" asked Musket.

"I did see him once after I had finished the training. I was taking him the letter that had pardoned him. My training had taken around nine weeks."

"It took you damn long enough." said Nails.

"Ok, so what did you do after that Nails?" asked Blunderbuss.

"I started working undercover as a way to get information. I took on the role of a bounty hunter. I went out and talked to ponies to get information. At the same time I would listen in on conversations to get information on Iron Foot. It wasn't long before I started working for anyone. I became a mercenary and started doing all sorts of jobs. There was one mission that would become one of the most important things I've ever done." said Nails.

"What was it?" Eagle Eye asked.

"I was told to kill Whiskey."


	9. Chapter 9

"I'm looking for a mercenary by the name of Talon." the stallion said to the bartender, "I have a job for him."

"You're in luck. He was planning on heading to the next town today, but he decided to stay behind for an extra day. I can't tell why but I bet he'll be glad he did. He's up in room two."

"Thanks." said the stallion. He headed up to the room that the bartender had told him. Surely Talon would accept the job he was going to offer him. He walked down the hall until he reached room number two. He knocked on the door certain that he did not want to anger this mercenary in any way. He had personally never met Talon.

"Come in." said a voice from the inside. The stallion opened the door and walked in.

"You know if I had been someone sent to kill you that was not a very safe way of answering the door." said the stallion as he turned and shut the door. He turned back around and realized the mistake he had made in turning his back. In Talon's claw was the fabled weapon that he used and it was pointed directly at him.

"If you had been sent to kill me you would he dead already." said Talon, "but you are obviously not here to kill because you're still alive. What job do you have for me?" he said as he holstered his gun.

"Well," said the Stallion as Talon put a cigar in his mouth and lit it, "My name is Swordbreaker and I am here to ask you to assassinate somebody."

"Who do you work for?" asked Talon.

"What makes you think I work for someone?" asked Swordbreaker.

"You asked me to perform an assassination, not to kill them. You obviously have a reason for this besides hating them." said Talon.

"You got me." said Swordbreaker, "I am working for the head of the Dagger Mob. He is attempting to assist Iron Foot by taking out enemies to the government. Recently, a few targets have begun to spring up."

"Oh yeah?" said Talon, "Like who?"

"The specific target that I want you to kill is a unicorn named Whiskey." said Swordbreaker, "It's believed that he's part of an underground organization with the goal of overthrowing the government here in Forshan. We have records on him but so far all attempts on his life have ended in failure."

"So you came to me." said Talon, "You realized that you didn't have a chance with anyone else so you decided to hire the best."

"You seem to be very arrogant." said Swordbreaker, "I know that flaw will be your downfall."

"How much will you pay me?" asked Talon.

"250 dollars." said Swordbreaker.

"I'll accept your mission. I will let you know if I succeed." said Talon.

Swordbreaker smirked, "What happened to that cocky attitude of yours?"

"I might be arrogant of my skills, but I'm also honest." responded Talon.

"Long story short, I searched for Whiskey for a week or so until I found him." said Nails. "He had been hiding in plain sight the entire time. I couldn't believe how easy the kill would be until I actually tried. When I pulled the trigger on my gun it misfired and nothing happened. I tried again. Same result. I reached for my knife to discover that I had dropped it somewhere. I couldn't believe how bad my luck was that day until Whiskey started to laugh saying I was the only one that had been this determined to kill him. He said as soon as any other attack failed the assailant would flee before they tried again."

"You wouldn't believe the reason why you can't kill me if I told you!" exclaimed Whiskey as Talon stood over him confused.

"I wouldn't be surprised." said Talon, "I've heard some pretty crazy shit in my time."

"What about prophecies?" asked Whiskey.

Talon opened his mouth to say yes before he caught himself. 'The fewer people that know my secrets the better.' he thought. "No," said Talon, "I don't see anything special about a prophecy."

"Well, why don't you come to my hotel room and we can discuss it over a drink." said Whiskey.

"I don't drink." said Talon.

"Then you can do whatever suits you." said Whiskey.

Talon followed Whiskey to the hotel, keeping a close watch on him the entire time. He was ready for any tricks that Whiskey might be planning but to his surprise, they never occurred. The trip to the hotel was made without a single interruption. Now Talon was extremely curious as to what made this Whiskey so special, and what was so important about prophecies. He was really curious about Whiskey's invincibility as it seemed. The pair made it into the hotel room without any problems where Whiskey walked in and immediately went over to a cupboard from which he procured a bottle of vodka. "You sure you don't want any?" asked Whiskey to which Talon shook his head. Whiskey skipped getting a glass and removed the stopper and put the bottle to his lips. He took a few sips before he stoppered the bottle and walked back over to Talon.

"Now," said Whiskey, "where do I begin?"

"Whiskey told me everything, how he worked for the underground organization of fighters to overthrow the government. The head of the organization was a stallion named Salute. When I joined up this would be the pony I took orders from with Whiskey second in command. He quickly began to respect my opinion over his own though. Whiskey also mentioned Bladestorm being in the organization which surprised me. When I finally did meet up with Bladestorm he mentioned that me and him were the only surviving members of our team and how he had gotten a disease that was slowly eating away at his muscles and he said he expected a good six years, but he would be willing to cut that down if need be. Whiskey also told me about prophecies and how they have to come true no matter what. When he finished I realized that this organization could be my ticket to finding Iron Foot. I took a spot in the organization where I served for four years before I got word of a terrorist attack being planned for Equestria. I went back home and couldn't believe what I saw. An entire stadium of ponies killed except for one survivor. That was the first time I ever saw Rainbow Dash in person. A tear came to my eye for two reasons. The first reason was that I was watching my home be burned to the ground. The second reason was that a pony and her friends that had known peace all of their lives were about to be thrust into a larger world and would become a part of something bigger than themselves." said Nails. "As soon as I got back to Forshan, Salute was practically waiting for me at the border. He had a job for me that was pretty big. Apparently, some dumbass Equestrians named Flim and Flam, had sold the blueprints for an engine to a Forshan spy inside of Equestria. He took the plans back and with them and a few modifications was able to create a prototype car and were transporting the plans as well as the car to a secret base where they would create more. We could not let this happen so he sent me to kill the crew which I did do to some extent. I let one live but in no condition to fight back or warn someone else about what had happened before the second team arrived to destroy the car. Well, that's my story." said Nails.

"Wow, there's more to you than I thought." said Musket.

"When did you get that lighter." asked Blunderbuss.

"I got it while I was working with Whiskey and Salute." responded Nails.

"That story took a lot longer than I thought it would." said Delta as he got up.

"Yeah, and if that light on the horizon is anything to go by I would say that we lost track of time and we need to get going if we're planning on going home today." said Nails.

"Son of a bitch!" exclaimed Delta, "Is it really morning?" he asked as he checked to see that indeed the sun had begun to rise in the east.

"Well, there goes another night in the life of an average soldier." said Eagle Eye, "But then again, we're not the average soldier. We're all used to doing a mission after a sleepless night. Am I right?"

"Yeah." said Nails. "Now, who wants to go home!" he shouted loud enough for the whole camp to here. A loud uproar came from every tent signaling the entire unit was ready to move. It was their time. "As soon as they're ready, we'll move towards the base." said Nails. He couldn't wait to get home.

Nails walked across the border from Forshan to Equestria. The mission had been a success and after several goodbyes had been exchanged between the soldiers that he had been with for the month and they had parted ways. Nails looked towards Ponyville and then towards Canterlot. His gaze stopped at Canterlot when he noticed that there was something different about the city. He could see that there was a bubble of magic around the city as if they were trying to shield themselves from something. He had originally intended to go to Ponyville to visit his friends, but the magical shield had caught his attention. He watched for a few minutes until he saw what appeared to be a bright light shoot up from inside of it and the shield seemed brighter and newer. He had made his decision now, he would go to Canterlot first to report to Princess Celestia, and see what the shield was about. He made his way along the road to Canterlot. He wished he had been able to visit Ponyville first and drop off his knives and gun, but he didn't have time for it now. As he walked he witnessed the shield break into pieces and he noticed something moving into Canterlot now. He quickened his pace towards the capitol and was certain that it was under attack. He would constantly look up at the city and take note that the shield was not back yet. When he was about ten minutes away from the city entrance, he watched as a bubble began to expand and watched as several small black creatures were thrown away from the city. He took note of what they looked like and realized that they were changelings. He had crossed paths with one before and it had difficulty transforming into him because Nails was a rare cross between species and changelings cannot transform into two different things at once. He chuckled a little bit as he remembered the occasion. He watched as the changelings were vaulted through the air away from Equestria and began to walk towards the city. He looked towards the gate and noticed that there were a strange number of guards there. Too many for a normal day and some of them appeared to be very new on the job, judging by the way they were fidgeting around. He reached the gate and was about to walk through it when a guard called for him to stop. Nails realized then and there that this visit to Canterlot was going to be very interesting.


End file.
